NAM meeting today

After weeks of a bitter verbal war with its affiliates, the Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) today faces its ‘rebelling children’ in a meeting expected to shake the netball hierarchy. The venue is Sports Council headquarters in Blantyre.

Affiliated regional netball committee chairpersons Florence Chakhaza (South), Fanuel Katengeza (Centre) and Alick Mkandawire (North) are expected to take to task NAM president Rosy Chinunda and her executive committee over a number of issues.

High on agenda is the contentious aborted 2011 Standard Bank Netball Trophy.

“The meeting will for now involve three regional committee chairpersons who signed the letter [ultimatum]. There is no need yet to involve a mediator, unless we fail to agree. But there should be no need for us to disagree over matters of national interest,” Chinunda insisted Thursday.

All had appeared rosy for NAM until last month when Standard Bank managing director Charles Mudiwa spilled the beans, saying they will not sponsor the trophy due to the netball body’s lamentable administration.

The regional netball committees then called for the resignation of NAM executive accusing them of failing the sport. The affiliates then issued NAM a seven-day ultimatum to explain, eventually becoming the genesis of today’s meeting.

Chakhaza on Thursday said they would seek convincing explanations; otherwise the NAM administration will be asked to leave the stage.

“Unlike other sports bodies such as FAM, the problem with NAM is that they monopolise everything. Despite several letters questioning how things are run, they never responded. They even kept us in the dark on the Standard Trophy until when the bank spoke,” she said.

Sports Council administration manager Henry Mereka confirmed Thursday that they have offered NAM the venue. He said the council would not be involved in the meeting.